From liquor stores to beer bars, San Jose to Wichita to the East Village of Manhattan, here are the 10 most popular businesses on BeerMenus in 2017. Enjoy!
Lightner Liquor | Wichita, KS
Once again, Lightner Liquor in Wichita made our Most Popular Businesses list. We've had quite a few nice conversations with Ty Lightner over the years, so we're happy to see his family-owned liquor store continue their success. They get a ton of amazing beers, but perhaps most impressive is their knack for rounding up the best of the best from their neighbors to the south: Prairie Artisan Ales.
Cold Creek Brewery | Ellington, CT
Cold Creek is a small brewery located just a little north of us. They don't have a huge selection, but it packs punch. They've worked to build their following in the past year (proven by the rate at which they update their menu), so we're super excited to see them on the list!
Ambulance Brew House | Nanuet, NY
North of New York City by about 25 miles, Ambulance Brew House features 20 drafts and 2 cask beers. With routine appearances by Hill Farmstead, Jolly Pumpkin, Other Half—basically all the top-echelon breweries available in New York State—none of us are surprised to see Ambulance showing up on this list for the second straight year.
Hoof Hearted Brewpub and Kitchen | Columbus, OH
We weren't surprised to see Hoof Hearted charge up to the top-10 list this year. They're well-known to beer lovers nationwide—by any accounting, they're making some of the best beer in the middle of the country. We've never been, but yours truly is slated for an Ohio trip in 2018, and will be absolutely sure to stop by. (Oh, and +1 for artwork and website photos!)
Joe Canal's of Woodbridge | Iselin, NJ
This branch of Joe Canal's "does" BeerMenus very well: they update their list every single time their selection changes. They focus a lot of their energy on their growler selection—often stocked with local New Jersey beers (e.g. Kane and Bolero Snort) but they're also stocked with a solid out-of-town selection.
Long Live Beerworks | Providence, RI
We're super excited to see these folks on the list. We haven't made it up to see them in Providence yet, but when we do we'll surely be grateful: Long Live Beerworks focuses on hop-forward beers and cask conditioned ales.
Bigby's Pour House | Addison, IL
Once again Bigby's in Addison is on our Most Popular Businesses list. The lineup in Addison is simple: 20 taps, with a small selection of bottles (our personal favorite is a Miller Lite priced at $1000). The guys at Bigby's have a sense of humor, a well-curated beer list, and, as has been made very clear, a big following. (Photo courtesy of Daily Herald.)
The Open Bottle | Tinley Park, IL
Another repeat appearance from a business in the Chicago suburbs. Eight very high-quality taps dominate the well-curated tap room, while hundreds of bottles bring folks in as well. The Open Bottle also hosts a ton of beer-focused events, yet another reason for beer lovers to make their way in to see Julia, Patrick, and the gang.
Proletariat | Manhattan
Proletariat is a personal favorite for many on the BeerMenus team, so we're not surprised to see it appear on the list again this year. They're always serving some awesome local beers from Other Half, Grimm, Finback or others, but the out-of-towners they feature are super high quality as well. While the narrow space gets jam packed on weekend—and weekday—nights, there are few places whose selection packs so much punch. “Lean but impressive” is a perfect description.
Harry's Hofbrau San Jose | San Jose, CA
The Bay Area is no slouch when it comes to craft beer. Neither are the three Harry's Hofbrau locations. San Jose has a well-balanced list of 28 taps and more than 150 bottles and cans, both 12oz and meant-to-share large format bottles.
Come back to our blog on 1/29, 1/30, and 1/31 for the rest of our 2017 Wrap-up Lists!